Gdańsk exhibition reveals forced conscription

The Gdańsk Museum has opened Our Boys, an exhibition exposing the scale of Polish conscription into the Wehrmacht. Estimates suggest up to 450,000 Poles were forced to serve in the German army during World War II. The subject has long remained sensitive and rarely discussed publicly. 

Source Financial Times

The exhibition has sparked intense public reaction and political controversy. Some view it as revisionism, while others see it as a vital step toward confronting a complex past. Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his rivals are already using the issue in domestic politics.

Curators emphasize the exhibition’s goal is not to justify or condemn, but to foster broader understanding of Poles’ wartime experiences. It raises deeper questions about memory, identity, and Poland’s relationship with Germany today.